"Here is a picture of my wife June bringing me some bawling calves just of the truck from Montana going to their pen at our feedyard north of Columbus Nebraska. June is at the feedyard riding pens with me every morning after she drops our two boys off at a country school a mile from the feedyard. This particular morning she was helping me move calves around before she took kids to school. We also have two girls one a sophomore in high school and one a freshman ant University or Nebraska studying Animal Science and Pre-Veterinary medicine. All of our kids are active in helping on our 4000 hd feedyard. The kids are the sixth generation on out operation. June and I are both veterinarians and have our own practice but we spend about 70% of our time operating our farm and feedyard," says Loseke.

"Counting Calves" by Cortney Haugen

"It is hard to say what these two were discussing," writes Haugen. "As the days grew shorter and the sun lower they have starting to earn their keep at age 8 with their first cowboy paychecks for pushing calves up the alley. Hopefully their futures are filled with good horses, calves and a good rope!

"Cuties" by Melinda Mays

"Hello. My name is Melinda Mays. My family and I live in Ellensburg, WA. This past summer, I snapped a picture of my daughter McKinley in our pasture with her first calf, Cutie. Cutie's mother, Gracie, is McKinley's blind bottle calf she's raised and is the beginning to her small herd," writes Mays.

"Daddy's Hat' by Sarah Anderson

"Daphne" by Amy Plageman

"Here is my man, Britt, with my first calf, that I took on as my own with poor prognosis, but HOPE! The cow had horrible mastitis and we had to take her little heifer away to try and save her... We named her, the calf, Daphne. She was such a fighter. This is a picture of the first evening we had her away from her Mom. I lived in a Condo at the time and Britt and I had been dating for a year, he brought her to my fenced Condo yard in the city so we could get her stronger and feed her away from his farm. I LOVE this picture, and I hope others do, too. Sadly, due to no colostrum and secondary issues, after eight months of doing well, Daphne had to leave us. She was such a fighter, regardless of her badly dealt hand and hard efforts on her behalf," writes Plageman.

"Celebrating" by Clarice Roghair

"This is my granddaughter Darian celebrating her first eight-second bronc ride with her Uncle Lonnie at the Ranch Rodeo last summer. She lost her hat during the ride," says Roghair.

"Following Directions" by Ashley Middleswarth

"Great Grin" by Robin Starkenburg

"Braydn is our youngest but he makes sure he is a part of every aspect of the farm. Having a hat like his dad and big brother was pretty important this four-year old," says Starkenburg.
Robin Starkenburg

“It’s okay momma, we’ll be done in a minute!” by Kenny Gfeller

"Maddie and Hank" by Val Oakes

"This gal has HATitude plus! Maddie Mae loves all animals, loves taking care of them daily, and would like to be a veterinarian someday. She even dissected the Thanksgiving turkey carcass with a butter knife because she wanted 'to see what the bones look like,'" writes Oakes.

"Pardners" by RyAnne Rousch

"Stuart And Maddie At The Local Rodeo" by Stuart Beam

"Saving Calves" by Vera Schultz

"This is a photo that I took of my husband, Kevin during a ten-day period of bitter cold blizzard conditions during calving season. I call it 'Saving Calves' because we went out every three hours during those days and nights bringing in the new ones to warm up and then taking them back to their mothers," writes Schultz

"This is Clay Jackson in the branding pen. Branding is a fun time of year here on the ranches," says Mitchell.

"Cowboy in Training" by Beau, Stephanie, & Cashton Ochsner

"Pictured is our two-year old son, Cashton. He is everything cowboy, just like his daddy. He has a farmer's spirit and loves all of his animals with the kindest heart I have ever seen. This child would rather be outside in the barn near his horses and cows than anywhere else in this big ol' world!" says Stephanie Ochsner.

"Dusty Mitchell" by Trey Mitchell

"This is me in the pen gathering cows and calves getting ready to brand," writes Mitchell.

"Family Ride Time" by Will Heitshusen

"This is a photo of our family ride time. We spend family time together on horseback as much as possible. Each of the kids are in 4-H and show cattle. We have cow-calf, row crop and hay operation. Pictured from left to right is son Hadley, (age 14) on Buck; wife Cindy on Pepsi; daughter Kendall (age 12) on Bulls Eye; daughter Harlyn (age 7) on Flash; and me on Troubles. This picture wasn’t actually planned until riding out from the trees behind. When we rode into the clearing, a passerby happen to be in area. For whatever reason, I just asked if they would snap a picture and handed over my phone. We didn’t have to line up the horses or straighten one head. They all stopped in their place as is. I’ve had my horse Troubles longer than my precious wife. I got him when he was two-years old. He’s 25 now and still has herd pecking order, although Flash gives him a good challenge. He kind of lives up to his name, but that’s not now he got it. His registered named was tied to Mr. Trouble Step pedigree. So I just gave him the name Troubles, not knowing how fitting it would later become. As time goes on, we’ve both learned each others' vices and have gotten along fine. He’s a good cattle horse and have team penned and sorted with him over the years," writes Heitshusen.

"Keeping The Water Open" by Collette Brost

"This is a photo of my husband, Keith Brost, chopping ice out of a water tank so his cows can drink on a frigid day in Colorado. It doesn’t matter how cold it is or what the windchill is, he always wears his cowboy hat. If the wind is strong he may add earmuffs, but he still wears his cowboy hat," says Brost.

"Lil Cowboy" by Sterlin Mitchell

"Pickup Ma'am" by Chuck Scott

“Ready To Rope One Down” by Dee Ann Littlefield

"Levi is a three-year-old cowboy that lives in Clay County, TX, not far from Wichita Falls. He ropes all day everyday, anything and everything he can find – from dogs to buckets to his sister when his roping dummy isn’t handy. He has ropes scattered all over but his favorites he hangs up by his bed every night," says Littlefield.

"Our son worked for a vet while attending college. After a dehorning day, he brought home some of the longer horns. His dad picked two of the prettiest, affixed them to a piece of barnwood, covering the middle with leather from an old boot, and made a hat rack that he has used for over 15 years! Sure would look good with a new Greeley hat hanging on it!" says Dean McMillan.

"Talking Farming" by Janice Huelsmann

"The Boys" by Helen Brown

"A Dad & His Little Girl" by Kristine Hendrickson

"This is my husband Tim and our second youngest, Jada, at an area bull riding event. A dad can never lose his chance to snuggle with his girl!" says Hendrickson.

"Big Win" by Alyson Tulloch

"Learning from my papa" by Emily Golding

"This is a photo of Colorado cattleman Tony Hammer and 2-year-old grandson, Gunner Golding, in the branding pen. We are fortunate to be four generations of cattlemen living and working together on our cow calf operation in Wild Horse, CO," says Golding.

"My Favorite Hat" by Ed Fowler

"Attached is a photo of my favorite hat waiting for me on my irrigating shovel leaning on my favorite pickup. We have been together for over 5 years, she has shared many experiences with me, stuck with me through all kinds of weather, shed rain, snow and shaded me from the sun and still sticks with me in the wind. We have spent many hours together, building fence, irrigating, working cows and farming. The feathers were gifts from birds we shared time with, she has been an honest companion," writes Fowler.

"Pure Focus" by Lindsey Tulloch

"Ready To Party" by Carolyn Edleman

"Ready to Rope & Ride" by Tim Hendrickson

"My son Gabe with all of his Christmas presents ready to go for summer!" says Hendrickson

"Showing Her Hatitude" by Tamara Choat

"A Family Legacy" by Chessie Garrett

"Cody" by Naomi Loomis

"You can tell a lot by the hat a cowboy wears! You can not find one Cowboy hat the same. From the ceases to the sweat band, cowboy hats are special. So for those of you that wear one, thank you for keeping the tradition alive," writes Loomis.

"Our Next Generation Cowboy" by Cody Loomis

"Practice" by Terryn Drieling

"In this photo is entitled, 'Practice,' my then 2 year old son is practicing his rope skills. Everyone that knows him, knows that he is seldom found with out some sort of rope. He has even been known to fall asleep with them in hand," writes Drieling

"Spring Roundup" by Tim Trabon

This is a photo from our Spring Round up at the Fallin't Ranch. This little girl has been on a horse since she was born. She is now competing, and is quite the little ranch hand," says Trabon.

"Wearing His Greeley Hat" by Patti Trabon

"This is a photo of a horse trainer and he is actually wearing a Greeley hat," says Trabon.

Branding Day At The Box F Bar by Susan Reenders McNaught

"Friends and family gather every spring on branding day at the Box F Bar ranch near Sparks, NE, where the traditional cowboy way lives on and the horse is still the preferred partner," says Susan. "This photo shows my husband, Monty McNaught, as he brands yet another calf at the 2014 branding. He feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend nearly every branding at the Box F Bar for over 30 years now."

"Brock" by Steven Moreland

"This is a photo of my son, Brock Moreland. He is the main man who gets things done on our Spearhead Ranch at Merriman, NE," says Moreland.

"Herefords with HATitude" by Darcy Sexson

"Peewee cattle showman Cade takes his Hereford heifer for a spin in the showmanship ring at a jackpot show," writes Sexson.

"Managers' meeting" by Chris Cantrell

"This photo was captured while me and my boys were checking on cattle. They were going over the cows that have and have not calved. Those hats have several miles on them, along with several stories underneath them as well with each one bringing a smile," says Cantrell

"Cowboy hat in Germany" by Don and Candy Luhrsen

"This was a photo taken on a trip from the ranch to Germany to visit our oldest son who was stationed there prior to his assignment in Iraq. We were living in Arizona at the time. Cedric gave us the greatest tour of SW Germany during the Winter Festival (Christmas time). Most locals just smiled politely at the cowboy on their streets. We want to go back and do a farm tour someday. What we saw from the trains appeared to be good green production in the fields. We saw mostly sheep, goats and horses. Don and Candy Luhrsen now live in SW NM raising Galloway cattle," says Luhrsen

"This photo is of our 2 boys (left & right) and a friend ready to go on a rabbit hunt," says Greer.

"Free Range Cowboy On Summer Pasture" by Trish Greer

"This photo was taken during a break while trailing cows to summer range," says Greer.

"Into the storm" by Catie Kershner

"Reid" by Lee Stripling

"Rancher Reid is making sure the girls are happy. Almost 1 1/2, Reid is a seventh-generation native Floridian, and loves practicing the HATitude of a proper cracker cowboy on the family ranch," says Stripling, Reid's grandpa.

"The Cowboy Goes Fishing" by Casey Greer

"My brother Lee is never without his hat! The fish in Michigan are a bit larger than the trout in our Wyoming creeks!" says Greer.

"Tip of the hat" by Dan McDougall

"What do you mean you forgot to close the gate?" by Jerry Laskody

"All A Cowgirl Needs" by Kevin Kapelski

"This is a photo of my eldest daughter, Grace. Every year I plant a sunflower patch and my family and friends take photos in it. Last year my daughter wanted a picture with our dog, Buster, and our orange Allis Chalmers Tractor. And she wanted her hat too of course. I was happy to oblige," says Kapelski.

"Been Farming Long" by Teddi Vogel

"Our son Corbin (the red head) and his little friend met at a neighbor's branding this spring. Like all little cowboys do, they spent the day playing in the dirt, riding horses and following their daddies everywhere. We had one tired little cowhand by days end! He sure does enjoy being just like dad, riding, roping and being outside. He has two little sisters hot on his heels, wanting to be just like him," says Vogel.

"Branding Day" by Kacey Koester

"I took this picture a few years ago on branding day. My uncle is the one in the picture. I call the picture, 'Branding Day,'" says Koester

"End Of The Day" by Matt Vogel

"Our son Corbin is all boy and very determined to be just like dad. Our family time in the spring, like many ranching families, revolves around brandings for family and friends. While I am not much help (twin girls who are 1 and Corbin keep me busy!), my husband enjoys roping and helping when and wherever he can. This photo was taken a large branding for our neighbors. Corbin doesn't get the chance to spend as much time horseback as he would like so anytime his dad stepped off, Corbin was waiting to swing on. At this point in the day, he had run a hundred miles, rolled in mountains of dirt, chased wayward calves, played with new friends, including dogs, and watched wide-eyed as daddy roped and dragged calves. It was a very big day for a little cowboy and he was tired!" says Vogel.

"Dressed up cowboy" by Bonita Long

"Home from school" by Bobby Gray

"Jim and the help" by Wayne Freeman

"Just being shy" by Granma Gray

"Learning from grandpa" by Shaylee Berg

"This photo is Grandpa sharing words of wisdom with his Grandaughter Shaylee after trailing cows 6miles to our 5th generation homestead. (Grandpa’s Grandfather’s homestead) The last one is Tuff and Grandpa checking cow in June 2014 on the 5th generation homestead! My dad continues to be very active on our ranch at the age of 70! He has a lot to teach the young ones! As you can see the black felt hat has many miles on it and he asked me to “win me a hat” as he knows how much I love to take photos of moments like these!" says Berg.

"This is our five-year old daughter, Mesa, competing at the Show Me Timed Event Challenge in Vienna, MO, this summer. She just finished her goat tie run, where she tied one of her fastest times. She also competes in barrel racing and pole bending. She has already won four buckles. She loves to ride and compete. She also helps on the ranch gathering and working cattle. She helps until the last job is done, a true little cowgirl and an awesome little ranch hand already. She loves to ride and take care of her pony Cowboy. They are quite a team, whether it is competing, riding pastures or working pens, those two can do it," says Shannon.

"Learning from grandpa" by Tuff Berg

"This is a photo of my kids (Shaylee and Tuff) with their Grandpa! Grandpa Rick is showing Tuff how to keep the waterers adjusted during the frigid temps so the cows can drink!" says Berg